NH Gov. Ayotte's Veto Total Rises for 2025-2026 Legislative Term

New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte, a Republican, has vetoed multiple bills during the 2025-2026 legislative term while the state Legislature has been controlled by Republicans. In June 2026, Ayotte signed more than 50 bills into law while vetoing several others, including Senate Bill 552, which would have allowed classification of individuals by biological sex rather than gender identity in contexts such as bathrooms, sports, and prisons, and House Bill 1097, which would have required legislative approval before removing historical markers; Ayotte said she found no compelling reason for lawmakers to control that process. By early July 2026, Ayotte's veto total for the term had grown to 36 after she rejected nine additional bills, a figure reported to exceed the number of vetoes issued by former Governor Chris Sununu during any single two-year term in which Republicans held legislative majorities. Among the additional vetoed measures was Senate Bill 434, which would have established requirements for how schools must handle complaints alleging that library materials are obscene. Lawmakers are expected to consider whether to override some of Ayotte's 2026 vetoes later in the year. As of the most recent reporting, none of Ayotte's vetoes from this term have been overridden by the Legislature. The two reports do not fully align in scope: one details specific June 2026 bill signings and vetoes, while the other tracks the cumulative veto count reached weeks later, with some individual vetoed bills mentioned in only one report. The outcome of any future override votes remains unresolved.